Chà Chà Novel

Boarding the international flight, Lin Huaiqing felt a sense of novelty.

He had never flown in the real world. Even when he left his hometown to seek work in the city, he had spent twenty hours in a hard train seat.

By the time he got off, half his body had gone numb.

He had never imagined he would one day travel first class.

He was exhausted when they reached their hotel. Unfortunately, Xue Cheng’an began pestering him, insisting they sleep together.

“You don’t snore or grind your teeth, do you?”

He needed to ask first. If his cousin had either habit, he could go straight back to his own room.

“I’m very quiet when I sleep.”

“All right… Just this once.”

Lin Huaiqing was too tired to argue. At a certain level of exhaustion, he could fall asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.

Yet once the lights went out, his muddled brain became active again. He had been desperately sleepy a moment earlier, but having someone beside him felt unfamiliar.

“Move over a little. You’re crowding me.”

Instead of complying, Xue Cheng’an grew bolder. He slipped out of his own quilt and into Lin Huaiqing’s.

The unexpected contact made Lin Huaiqing shudder, leaving him even more awake.

“If you won’t settle down, go back to your own room!”

He squeezed his eyes shut, his patience seemingly at its limit.

Beside him, Xue Cheng’an watched with interest in the darkness. Affecting casualness, he asked, “Cousin! Qin Fan, the Qin family’s second son, likes you, doesn’t he? Have you two slept together?”

“?!?!”

Lin Huaiqing’s eyes flew open, and he sprang upright.

“What did you say?!”

He almost wondered whether he had misheard. Otherwise, how could Xue Cheng’an ask something so outrageous?

“Isn’t it true? Don’t worry. You can tell me. I won’t say anything to anyone.”

“You really are mad. Get out!”

Lin Huaiqing switched on the bedside lamp and angrily pointed at the door.

But Xue Cheng’an stayed put, and his next words were even more shocking.

“I noticed at the auction. Qin Fan cornered you against a wall and said something. Then he was put in full charge of Lovers’ Island, yet handed such a profitable project to you. Would someone in his position give anything away without getting something in return?”

His wording was indirect, but his eyes betrayed him. He looked at Lin Huaiqing as though he had seen through everything.

He was plainly pleased with his own cleverness, and contemptuous of his cousin.

Lin Huaiqing laughed in anger at the baseless deduction.

He had accidentally guessed correctly that Qin Fan was interested in him, but the rest was absurd.

“Xue Cheng’an, you certainly have an imagination. Me, sleeping with Qin Fan? I can’t believe you came up with that. I’ll count to three. Get out of my room. Three…”

Realizing he had truly angered him, Xue Cheng’an hurriedly backed down.

“Don’t be angry, Cousin. I’m going! Right now!”

He gathered his quilt and slunk back to his own room.

Too annoyed to feel sleepy anymore, Lin Huaiqing could only browse aimlessly on his phone.

When he happened to open his messaging app and saw Qin Fan’s chat, he fell into thought.

They had added each other at school, but he deleted him after graduation. When Qin Fan returned to the country, he had sent another friend request.

It was strange. They were supposed to be enemies, yet remained on each other’s friend lists. Shouldn’t they simply stay out of each other’s lives?

Thinking Qin Fan might delete him soon, Lin Huaiqing embraced the principle that he would delete anyone first rather than let anyone delete him.

He steeled himself and pressed delete.

As the conversation vanished from his phone, an indescribable feeling rose inside him.

After tossing and turning for half the night, he finally fell asleep toward morning. Only to be woken early by Uncle Wang to board the boat.

Their chartered vessel to Lovers’ Island would make only one round trip.

With heavy dark circles beneath his eyes, Lin Huaiqing still remembered to glare at Xue Cheng’an before boarding.

He chose the seat farthest from his cousin and turned to watch the scenery outside.

But Xue Cheng’an shamelessly approached again, hugging his arm and trying to coax him.

“Cousin! I was wrong last night. Don’t ignore me! We’re the only two people our age here. If you won’t talk to me, I’ll die of boredom!”

The cabin was small, and his behavior had already attracted several curious looks.

“Enough! Stop clinging like you have no bones. Sit properly!”

“Then you can’t be angry with me anymore!”

Despite that, Lin Huaiqing remained wary.

He had initially thought Xue Cheng’an was merely a somewhat foolish schemer. Now it seemed he had misjudged him. His cousin was certainly not as simple as he appeared.

After several days of surveying, they had recorded nearly all the island’s terrain. The engineers adjusted their existing plans to suit the actual conditions.

Meanwhile, construction crews could be dispatched from home.

Country M was developed, and hiring local contractors would cost twice as much. Domestic crews would also make communication easier.

Once construction began on Lovers’ Island, Uncle Wang became immensely busy. Lin Huaiqing and Xue Cheng’an assisted him by supervising progress. They often grew so occupied that they forgot lunch until he reminded them.

“Huaiqing, stop working and come eat. This afternoon, tell the workers to suspend work. We’ll notify them when to resume.”

“What? Why the sudden break? Aren’t we already behind schedule?”

“A typhoon is about to make landfall. Have the workers secure the site and take all necessary safety precautions. Count everyone before leaving the island.”

“All right, Uncle Wang. Understood.”

Having grown up in an inland city, Lin Huaiqing had never experienced a typhoon, only heard about them on weather reports.

Though he did not know their power firsthand, he dared not be careless. After eating, he went to ensure every instruction was carried out.

By the time he returned to the hotel that evening, the wind was strengthening. Rain struck the windows with increasing force.

Their hotel stood on the nearest large island to Lovers’ Island. Its facilities were comprehensive, and its scale rivaled that of a major city.

For some reason, facing such extreme weather stirred a faint excitement in Lin Huaiqing, perhaps from some instinct.

After reassuring Lin Zhen that he was safe, he enjoyed a shower and went to bed.

Before he fell asleep, the wind outside was already howling. Yet he slept particularly soundly.

During the night, he drifted into a dream. He was sitting in a tiny boat on a raging sea.

Waves surged around him. The boat rocked violently, almost throwing him overboard.

“Earthquake! Run!”